The 2025 Arkansas baseball season is less than a month away.
While a four-game series against Washington State looms, the Razorbacks begin preseason practices Friday. Those three weeks of scrimmages will go a long way in determining what things look like on Opening Day.
Here’s a rundown of the biggest questions Dave Van Horn and his staff still must answer before their Valentine’s Day opener…
Top Arkansas Baseball Questions
1. Who’s on first? What’s on second?
With all due respect to Abbott and Costello, we do know who is on third. In fact, the left side of Arkansas’ infield is pretty much solidified at this point: Wehiwa Aloy at shortstop and Brent Iredale at third base.
Aloy is back after a good-not-great 2024 campaign and primed for a breakout junior season. He had a huge summer in the Cape Cod League and has already generated some buzz for the 2025 MLB Draft.
It was a win just getting Iredale on campus, as he was a heralded JUCO prospect who some projected to get drafted last summer. Instead, the Australian didn’t get the offer he was looking for and made it to Fayetteville, where he established himself as the clear-cut starter in the hot corner this fall.
Much less certainty surrounds the right side of the diamond.
A pair of sophomores – returnee Nolan Souza and Vanderbilt transfer Cam Kozeal – appear to be the frontrunners at second base, with Souza the presumed favorite thanks to a strong fall.
“He’s got all the tools,” Van Horn said. “He can hit it as far as anybody, can run as fast as anybody, can throw with anybody. He’s what you’re looking for. He’s the type of guy athletically that, if he wasn’t playing baseball, I could see him playing tight end. He’s athletic enough to be a wide receiver at the Division I level.”
Whoever doesn’t win that job could find himself in the mix at first base, which is wide open. Van Horn said it’s “almost comical” how many players they’re rotating at the spot, comparing it to a “tryout camp.”
Five players have gotten reps at first and he mentioned the possibility of even more getting a look, but didn’t specifically name anyone.
While BYU transfer Kuhio Aloy (Wehiwa’s brother), Rhode Island transfer Michael Anderson and returning redshirt sophomore Reese Robinett got the most opportunities during the fall and could be considered the top candidates, Van Horn revealed that outfielder Rocco Peppi – a transfer from Fresno State – has also been working there some.
“We want to get a hitter over there, but honestly, you have to be able to field and catch pick-offs, know the bunt coverages,” Van Horn said. “You can’t just stick somebody at first base because he’s a good hitter. … They have to be able to play defense.”
2. What does the starting rotation look like?
At this point last year, Arkansas’ starting rotation was all but set in stone, with the only real question being the order of Brady Tygart and Mason Molina behind ace Hagen Smith.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, two-thirds of that rotation faltered down the stretch, while Smith lived up to the hype and became the National Pitcher of the Year.
“That’s a once-every-now-and-then type of guy that you get to be around, that talent and what he did for our team,” Van Horn said. “You take him off of our team last year, we’re probably pretty average.”
While there may not be another Smith on this team, the Razorbacks seemingly have some options this season. Returning right-handers Gabe Gaeckle and Gage Wood and transfer left-handers Zach Root (East Carolina) and Landon Beidelschies (Ohio State) were singled out by Van Horn as the top candidates.
He went so far as to say Gaeckle was “definitely” a starter, but it sounds like the other three will compete for the remaining two spots in the rotation.
“We’re going to let them prove it to us a little more,” Van Horn said. “We saw a lot of good things in the fall and then offseason… They’ll battle for those jobs to start out.”
That battle will likely continue into the regular season because Arkansas actually opens up with a four-game series against Washington State. That means all four could start that weekend and essentially get an audition for the trip to Arlington – and matchups with Kansas State, TCU and Michigan – the following week.
3. How will the rest of the pitching staff shake out?
The odd man out in that competition will join a loaded bullpen, as Arkansas once again “on paper has the most talented pitching staff in the country,” according to D1Baseball.
All four potential starters have at least some experience as relievers, with three of them – Gaeckle, Wood and Beidelschies – serving as closers at one point or another. If they aren’t starting or closing, they could also pitch in long relief or high-leverage spots.
There are plenty of options beyond those guys, too.
Veteran right-handers Will McEntire and Dylan Carter are in-state kids who returned for the sole purpose of trying to help the Razorbacks win a national title.
Oregon State right-hander transfer Aiden Jimenez and second-year lefties Hunter Dietz and Collin Fisher have shown a lot of promise in the past and are coming back from injuries.
Those latter two pitchers should be familiar names to Arkansas baseball fans, while Jimenez is a bit of a mystery man. Figured to be in the mix for Oregon State’s rotation last year, he missed all of 2024 because of Tommy John surgery, but is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
“If we can get him back to where he was at Oregon State, we’ll have a jewel, so to speak,” Van Horn said. “He was someone that we were hoping we could get him (back) maybe middle of the season, but it looks like he might be ready more toward the beginning of the season to help us.”
On the backend of the bullpen, right-hander Christian Foutch posted a sub-1.00 ERA and has regularly touched triple digits on the radar gun. He would seemingly be a prime candidate to close games for the Razorbacks.
Then there’s experienced juniors like right-hander Ben Bybee and left-hander Parker Coil, plus touted freshmen like right-hander Carson Wiggins and left-hander Cole Gibler – illustrating just how balanced this staff is in terms of right- and left-handed pitching.
4. Who starts in the corner outfield spots?
One of the biggest disappointments of the 2024 season was the lack of offensive production Arkansas got from its outfield. Until putting Peyton Holt in center, the Razorbacks got virtually nothing out of those three spots.
That was a major point of emphasis with the transfer portal this offseason and it seems like Arkansas is still figuring out at least two of those spots.
FGCU transfer Charles Davalan appears to have center field locked down, as the Canadian impressed coaches and scouts this fall and looks like a bonafide leadoff hitter.
Left and right field are up for grabs, though.
Kendall Diggs has been 100% cleared after his offseason shoulder surgery and should be full-go for the season. If he stays healthy and returns to his pre-injury form, it’d be hard to keep him out of the lineup.
“Now it’s all about timing at the plate, it’s about getting that bat speed back that he’s had in the past, seeing live pitching and just feeling confident,” Van Horn said. “He has a great personality. He’s easy to be around, easy to talk to. Players gravitate to him. … He’s going to be a big part of our team, it’s just a matter of how soon.”
The Razorbacks also added touted transfers in Logan Maxwell (TCU) and Rocco Peppi (Fresno State), as well as a DII transfer in Carson Boles.
Justin Thomas Jr., another JUCO addition who was viewed as an MLB Draft risk, could also factor into the mix, while freshman Brenton Clark is a wildcard option after a surprisingly productive fall.
“There’s going to be a battle there and we’ll be able to match up a little bit, maybe go game-to-game early and then figure it out,” Van Horn said. “(We’ll) try to get a starting lineup, hopefully by conference.”
***
This comment from Dave Van Horn might have flown under the radar, but it should mean a lot to Arkansas fans:
***
Watch Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn’s full press conference previewing the 2025 season here:
***
More on Arkansas baseball:
More coverage of Arkansas baseball from BoAS…
